Maybe Not Just a Pet
by Bellatrix Kale
Summary: On an excursion with his master, Scud meets someone...interesting. - AU. Scud & Deacon. Slash. Master/pet themes.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Maybe Not Just a Pet  
**Character/Pairing:** Scud, Deacon Frost, OC unnamed vampire.  
**Word Count:** 542  
**Rating:** K+  
**Warnings:** Master/slave themes.  
**Summary:** On an excursion with his master, Scud meets someone...interesting.  
**Notes:** I drank the kool aid. Can't help it.

* * *

Rules when he was taken along with his master to the various places he owned were always the same – don't talk to anyone unless spoken to, keep your eyes down, and if someone tells you to do something you do it. They were easy to follow though not by choice. Scud much preferred the idea of being able to make his own choices, his own decisions when out. But that was never the case, not for a familiar like him.

He sighed and kept his eyes downcast where he sat in the corner of the club two spots over from his master. Once in a while, the door would open and he would get a little curious and glance up quickly to see who was entering. There hadn't been anyone of interest or that he recognized from the ones that were in and out usually. That could have something to do with it being an unusual club, one of his mater's friends – if vampires even had friends.

Hearing the soft sound of the door, Scud looked up and brushed his hair away from his face to catch a man entering. He looked…confident, different from the posture everyone else had. The man looked at the few of them sitting there, settling on Scud only for him to quickly look down and silently curse himself.

The footsteps of the man drew and he listened from his seat. This was the man who owned the place – Deacon Frost. Words of formalities were exchanged between Frost and his master before suddenly he heard himself addressed.

"Scud," his master snapped, "are you listening?"

Scud looked up, brow knotting with an apologetic look. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.

The man, Frost, had his icy blue eyes set on him and he said, "I hope all your familiars don't look so pitiful." He shot a pointed look at Scud. "Cheer up a little. You look like someone killed your puppy." His voice was smooth, accented like he was from maybe Boston or a nearby area. It was almost mesmerizing to Scud, much better than his master's gravely and rough voice. "What's your name?"

Clearing his throat, Scud told him, "Josh. But I go by Scud."

"What, you don't like your own name?"

He fell silent, not really wanting to explain that he didn't like his name because of the way his master or his master's friends used it. Scud almost shivered, but held the tremor back. Apparently, his answer didn't come fast enough because Deacon was asking him if he swallowed his tongue. "My name's fine," he answered finally. "Scud is just…something I picked up."

Deacon nodded, eyes looking Scud over once before going back to conversation with his master. They talked for a short time until the two shook hands and his master was telling Scud, along with the other familiar with, to get up. They were leaving. Scud got to his feet, as requested; and looked at Deacon one last time. A smile was flashed at him as he started to follow the others and even though he could see the man's fangs, it made him feel…appreciated – not just like some pet as he was usually treated.

Something in him hoped he would see this vampire again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Maybe Not Just a Pet 2/?  
**Character/Pairing:** Scud, Deacon Frost, mentioned OC unnamed vampires.  
**Word Count:** 772  
**Rating:** T  
**Warnings:** Master/slave themes, mentions of minor gore and abuse.  
**Summary:** Scud find himself opening his eyes to see a recognized face.  
**Notes:** Now a series!

* * *

He saved him.

That man from before with the icy eyes – Deacon Frost – saved him. Not that Scud could actually explain how since he just found himself coming around to consciousness moments prior.

He asked himself why as he sat on the vampire's couch, keeping himself slumped and sitting on the edge as to not bloody the plush blue upholstery in fear of getting in trouble for it. Deacon was talking to someone over his headset, an angry tone to his voice. That alone was enough to strike fear in the familiar.

"You know what? Then fucking deliver them tomorrow!" Deacon shouted before shaking his head, ripping the headset off swiftly and tossing it on the small glass coffee table. He sat himself caddy corner to Scud in an armchair and there was a calmness to his tone as he said, "Welcome back."

Scud was so used to not talking unless asked a question that he simply glanced up. Deacon's eyes were raking over him once, twice, and then a third time before Scud was reminding himself how this guy snapped when he didn't speak before in the nightclub. "Welcome…back?"

A scoff and Deacon shook his head, pulling a cigarette from a box that was on the table. He put it to his lips as he lit it and explained to Scud what he meant. "Me and your master. We had a bit of a…falling out, you could say. Two of his buddies were drinking from the cuts on your arms when you passed out." He took a drag of the cigarette, the smoke curling around him and into the room. "That classifies as abuse to a familiar in my book, so I brought you here and had a guy take a look."

An expression of confusion crossed his face and Scud realized that his arms were sore. Looking down at them though, he found them to be wrapped up in gauze securely. There was still a hint of dry blood on his arms he noted, as well. "I… Thank you." In all honesty, this vampire was right back to confusing and blowing his mind all at once. He probably should have let him die, bleed out right there in his master's basement to forever stain the floors in velvety red. He raised his eyes back to Deacon and tried a smile as he watched the cigarette slowly burn down from afar.

"They always treat you like dirt?"

"…Yes," Scud answered quietly. He could name all the ways they were horrible to him, but remembering those things wasn't something he wanted to do. Really, all he wanted to do was thank this man. Somehow.

"Well, you don't gotta worry about it anymore. You'll be my familiar. And that shit doesn't fly with me." Scud was about to open his mouth, explain how it didn't matter because all he was to a vampire – any human – was just a walking meal. "Plus, the extra help around here'd nice. These other fucking wannabes don't do anything right."

So maybe his couple years of following orders like a dog weren't all for nothing. They were going to keep him alive a little longer. Or at least until Deacon got tired of him and just killed him, Scud assumed. So he just nodded, going along with this because at least he'd have something that wasn't his previous master. Hadn't he always said anyone but him? "Okay. Whatever you want," Scud stated.

"First I want you to wash up. You fucking reek like his basement and blood. Just don't ruin those bandages because they can't come off. Everything you need's in there."

He watched as Deacon's eyes shut and he took a final drag of the cigarette before leaving the butt in the ashtray on the table, only to rise to his feet and look expectantly at Scud. Scud immediately stood, finding himself aching and maybe a little woozier than he thought he was. But that didn't stop him when Deacon led him to the bathroom, the vampire only sticking around long enough to observe that Scud sat on the edge of the tub without falling over.

Once alone, Scud ran fingers over the bandages on his forearms. He shivered. He couldn't remember passing out or anything before that but he did remember them sniffing him, licking at his arms as they decided what they wanted to do with him. Eyes shut and he carefully pushed his hair away from his face while taking in a long, shaken breath. "You'll get through this," he told himself quietly. "Just shut it all out and no one can break you…"


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Maybe Not Just a Pet 3/?  
**Character/Pairing:** Scud, Deacon Frost, Quinn, Mercury.  
**Word Count:** 981  
**Rating:** T+  
**Warnings:** Master/slave themes, abuse, language.  
**Summary:** He sometimes doesn't know how to follow orders because he's so weak.  
**Notes:** Now a series!

* * *

"Well, lookie lookie! What do we have here?" a voice shouted, causing Scud to jump where he was sitting and drop his cigarette. Deacon said he had to step out and to stay put in his bedroom. The thing was…Scud was dying for a cigarette. Just a short couple of puffs. It had been a while since his last one. And the taste was a memorable one that he'd forgotten how much he missed.

He looked to find a man and woman coming in – the man tall and burly looking with sunglasses on his face and long dirty blond hair; the woman slender and pale in all white with slicked back hair that looked bleached. Scud had no idea who they were, but had a gut feeling it wasn't going to be a good thing for him.

Swallowing, he lowered his eyes and heard the woman said, "Maybe Deac's finally went out and got himself a pet."

Scud wasn't really sure how he was supposed to act around these people and only raised his eyes to look between the two a moment. The man smirked and said, "Aw, he's a good little pet. Knows to keep his fucking trap shut."

He stood up, fully intending to hurry back into Deacon's room when he found himself being thrown against a wall. His back slapped into the very solid wall and Scud couldn't help but give a small cry of pain. He still wasn't fully healed from being the previous day, apparently. Crumpling to the floor though, he figured it would be best to stay down. Maybe Deacon would be back soon. Or maybe he'd sent them to just take care of him. He wasn't clear on any of his thoughts currently and just wanted his back to stop throbbing.

A hand grabbed his hair though seconds after he gave up on thinking, causing him to whimper. "You can play with us. Me and Merc'll be gentle." Scud whined, eyes shutting and brow knotting as he tried to hold back a sob. This wasn't what Deacon promised him, so why was it happening?

Bracing himself for whatever was going to next as he felt the man's grip tighten in his hair, pulling a little more – it suddenly stopped and something rained over his face and there was a shout.

"Motherfuck! What the fuck, man?!"

Scud blinked his eyes open and realized it was ash. The same thing that came about when a vampire died. He also realized that the man in front of him was missing his hand as he fumbled backwards to nearly trip over the sofa. The woman was watching with hands on her hips and a glare on her face that easily slipped into amusement as she laughed.

There were a pair of feet though and he heard Deacon's voice yell, "Who the fuck told you to touch, Quinn? Learn to keep your fucking hands to yourself. Or next time, I won't be so kind."

Knowing it was Deacon made him sigh a breath of relief and keep his hands on the floor, bracing himself slightly while pain flowed through him with too much ease.

"And you…"

Scud twitched and Deacon's hand came across his face roughly, making his head whip to the side. It burned, but less than the pain up his spine.

"Get back in there. I told you not to come out." His voice was still raised, but much less powerful compared to when he yelled at the man – Quinn.

"I'm sorry," Scud muttered as he got to his feet with a wince and moved around the corner, back into Deacon's room. He sat on the floor, back against the bed because he didn't think Deacon would care that he was in pain to begin with.

Even with the door shut though, he could hear the conversation between the three. Quinn spoke first.

"Deac, man, we didn't—"

Deacon cut him off and said, "Shut the fuck up!" Silence loomed for a moment before he continued. "You don't touch him, got it? He's mine. And when I say don't touch him, I mean don't fucking touch him or you'll be missing both hands."

The female spoke up then. "So where'd you pick him up?"

"Last time I checked, you report to me. Not the other way around," Deacon said sharply. Scud heard some footsteps and then the door opened, only for Deacon to step in and slam shut behind him. It made him jump and shrink down slightly. He paced the room before stopping in front of Scud and asked, "What'd Quinn do to you, hm?"

"Nothing," Scud explained. "He just…threw me once. That's all." He felt like it was his fault that Deacon was angry because it just made sense. If he hadn't left the room, none of this probably would have happened. The familiar moved a hand to cover his right and still bandaged wrist as he lowered his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Quinn's an idiot. But I'm sure it'll sink in to keep his hands off you. And Mercury… She just doesn't give a fuck." He crossed his arms and looked upwards towards the ceiling as he added, "Why didn't you follow orders, pet?"

"I just…" A shake of his head and he couldn't bring himself to admit he snuck out for a smoke.

"Next time, ask beforehand." Deacon quipped, moving to sit himself in front of his computer. "I can smell the smoke all over you." He paused as he turned on the computer and started typing something. Without glancing in Scud's direction, he told him, "Lay down. You're not fooling anyone."

Scud just swallowed and nodded slowly. How Deacon knew, he wasn't sure; but he did as told – getting to his feet and lowering himself gently onto Deacon's strange looking bed and just silently listened to the vampire's fingers flying across the keyboard.


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Maybe Not Just a Pet 4/?  
**Character/Pairing:** Scud, Deacon Frost.  
**Word Count:** 807  
**Rating:** T+  
**Warnings:** Master/slave themes, language, mentions to past abuse.  
**Summary:** Waking up boxed in is a weird experience in all for Scud.  
**Notes:** Now a series!

* * *

Scud didn't remember falling asleep in Deacon's bed as he slowly started coming to. Weary eyes cracked slightly as he felt something creating a barrier to block his breath and bounce it back to him. In his daze, Scud assumed it was a pillow but as his eyes opened more – he saw it was not.

It was Deacon's arm because he was lying on his stomach beside him, face in the pillow with arms on their side. He almost thought the vampire was sleeping, but knew they didn't really. He stiffened, worried that maybe he wasn't supposed to be sleeping there and – oh god, Deacon would kill him.

He shifted, shying away and attempting to get up but…Scud only hit his head on something above him. Something like a ceiling. A soft groan slipped from him as he pressed a hand to where he hit his forehead while laying back again.

"I see you're awake," Deacon said, not sounding drowsy at all.

Scud's breath caught in his throat and he froze, a shiver running through him as he managed to say, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. I'd get up but I don't…"

"It's still light out and the top half's lowered. You're fine here for now. It's not like you can't breathe."

That was a good point. One that Scud could probably question, but he could ask in the future when his head didn't hurt so much. The human rubbed the spot with a tiny wince and mumbled, "Thank you."

Some movement and he glanced out of the corner of his eye to see Deacon roll onto his side, propping himself on his elbow as if to keep an eye on Scud. This is also when he noticed the vampire was lacking a shirt. And that he really wasn't all that bad looking. Actually, Scud would rank him pretty good looking had he not known what he was. It was no wonder that people seemed to follow Deacon around or fawn over him.

A moment passed and Scud's thoughts started to wander as he tried to keep staring at the pillow slightly blocking his view in his left eye. Everything in this situation told him that Deacon wanted something, maybe him. He wasn't too clear. So Scud cleared his throat and said, "So do you want me to…?" His brow knotted and lower lip was pulled between his teeth, unsure of everything.

"Do I want you to what?" Deacon asked, tone sounding somewhat irritated.

A shrug of a shoulder and Scud filled in the blank he'd previously left. "Sex? I didn't know if you wanted me to…" Scud's eyes really just couldn't help themselves in that moment, trailing sideways down Deacon's torso to his belt and back again.

The expression on Deacon's face shifted to one similar to amusement. There was disgust, but mostly amusement. "You think I wanna use you for sex? Is that what happened before? Because I don't want you to fucking touch me, quite frankly."

Scud didn't say anything. He simply closed his eyes and gave a nod. If that's not what he wanted him to do, then he wouldn't fight the vampire on it. But his ego was telling him otherwise, peeping in the back of his mind that he could do so good. That he could be whatever Deacon needed.

Deacon's voice interrupted his train of thought when he shouted at him. "Hey. I fucking asked you a question!"

"Sorry," Scud mumbled. He opened his eyes and swallowed, half nodding. "Sex toy and blood bag. That was me."

Lips curled into one of pure disgust and Deacon rolled onto his back. "Disgusting. I should just go kill him since he did the same to the others, didn't he?"

"Yeah. Some more than others. Mostly just us in the lower area. Everyone above got better treatment."

Something of a grumble came from Deacon and Scud watched as he seemed to be irritated just by hearing this all. He chewed on his lower lip a moment before suddenly, his little peeping ego spoke up. "Are you super sure? Because I'm pretty damn good." And just as the words came out, he wanted to punch himself in the face.

He didn't have to though. He didn't have to deal with any repercussions or reactions because the top of the bed suddenly hissed as it started to open and Deacon seemed to ignore him, getting up and moving around the bed. "Rest your head. Hope you don't have any damn brain damage, pet."

Scud blinked, rolling to stare at the top of the bed which now looked like the ceiling. Was it him, or had Deacon sounded more angry than usual when he spoke before leaving? Sighing, he just took the hint that he'd said the wrong thing and shut his eyes to rest.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N**: This addition was written by the wonderful Tawni because she writes an awesome Deacon in an rpg with me with my Scud. So enjoy this special little one time flip to Deacon's POV._

* * *

Deacon was a little irritated that Scud thought so poorly of himself. A sex toy? A blood bag? Really? All of the thoughts alone disgusted him. At least he took care of his pets, until they pissed him off. But sleeping with them? That was out of the question. That was just pet abuse. Thankfully, the heavy panels that covered his windows were enough to keep the daylight out as he stalked through his house, trying to clear his thoughts and rage.

"Fucking ridiculous." He muttered to himself as he ran a hand through his hair, letting it fall back into place over his face. Deacon traveled into the bathroom, shutting the door behind himself and turning on the water.

It was something about the sound of the water that always kept him calm. For as long as he could remember, it was the only thing he really felt any connection to- It was the only thing that brought him back home. That, and the rubber ducks. Some may call it childish, others may say it was just clinging onto the human memories. But to Deacon, it was just calming.

Once the dark blue tub was full of warm water, Deacon stripped off his clothes, and eased himself into the water. Dropping a single rubber duck in with him, Deacon watched it as he bobbed to and fro each time Deacon shifted. Each shift and sway pushed Deacon deeper into a calming thought as he found himself soon resting, or meditating.

He easily lost himself to his thoughts, blocking out everything else except for the soft lapping of the water, and the bobbing of the small yellow duck.

Instead of worrying about his current situation, though, Deacon found himself back in his own childhood. Back when he was human. Back when he could feel more than just the sickness of needing to drink to stay alive. When he was younger, he used to love taking baths. He'd beg his mother to fill the bath for him, just so he could play in the water with his ducks. He'd spend as long as he could, until the water was too cold to stay in any longer, or his mother would nearly drag him out.

But one specific memory came to mind. The night his father had had enough of his childish games. It wasn't his mother who'd come into the bathroom a good two hours after his bath had started. No, it was the man that assisted in his creation, and he wasn't having any of this. He pushed the door open with force, and Deacon couldn't help but stare up at him, mid-game with his duck, with wide blue eyes.

His father grabbed him by the arm, dragging him out of the tub, pulling the plug, and leaving the small duck behind. He screamed something about Deacon being old enough to know better, and that he was being a sissy, a coward. He'd never become the kind of man that he wanted to raise-

Suddenly, Deacon snapped out of his meditation, and stared in the direction of the door. Something had shifted, he'd heard it. If Scud was out moving around, there would be hell to pay. He'd given him a direct order. And if it wasn't Scud, someone was about to get their ass kicked for disturbing his meditation.


	6. Chapter 6

For a while he listened, just laid there on Deacon's bed with closed eyes in a sort of half-asleep state. It wasn't really relaxing though. Mostly because he was worried Deacon might come back and tell him he needed to get up and do something or just that he'd get a plain old command to move.

Scud opened his eyes and looked to find himself still alone in the room. It made him uncomfortable, concerned even because of Deacon's friend from before. What if that guy came back and didn't listen? What if he just lashed out and killed Scud because he could? The human shivered a little at the thought, rubbed his eyes, and slid out of bed carefully.

Bare feet moved across the floor slowly towards the open door. He poked his head out to see the bathroom door closed and frowned. Was that where Deacon was? Unsure about the answer his own question, Scud took a chance and cautiously moved forward and raised a hand to knock lightly on the door. "Deac?" he said quietly, knowing the vampire would be able to hear him. Not hearing an immediate response, he opened the door enough to poke his head in and met with the face of an angry vampire.

"What? Did you lose your fucking hearing? I told you to rest." His words were sharp, making Scud feel like he should shrink to the floor and curl up.

But he didn't.

He straightened up a little with a wince and replied, "I did rest. I'm…okay now. My head doesn't hurt even a little." Scud stared at the floor as he spoke and noticed the towel that was slung around Deacon's waist. Apparently, he'd caught the vampire in the middle of his bath. "Sorry," he added, "I just wanted to…" Scud trailed off, mostly because he wasn't all that sure why he'd gotten up. Maybe his feet had a mind of their own. That would be a good excuse if it didn't sound so farfetched…

The door opened more and Scud felt himself pulled in, before pushed against the wall by a hand that pressed against his throat lightly – just enough for a point to be made. And along with that, a snarling Deacon was in front of him and attached to the hand. "To what? Finish answering the question."

Trying not to whimper or let it show that the aggression scared him, Scud half pouted at the vampire and said, "To check on you." He took a breath, shifting against the wall and raising his chin slightly to better look at Deacon. "You seemed ticked off so I wanted to check on you."

The hand on his neck loosened and Scud relaxed some, until Deacon inched his face closer with a glare set on his face. He canted his head, eyes narrowing. "Why do you care, pet?"

Scud shrugged and chewed on his lower lip. And this only irritated the vampire, he realized; as the grip on his neck tightened back to what it had originally been. Mouth falling open, Scud gave the tiniest of gasps and he knew he was in trouble. He had to be. Deacon was too close, looked to angry, and oh shit - was this it finally? He braced himself by shutting his eyes and kept his arms still at his sides, hands balled into fists as nails dug into his palms.

Pain never came through. Instead, he heard a grumble and Deacon saying, "Nothing but a whore. All you want is my attention." Scud felt himself be let go by the vampire and he sunk down the wall to the floor lazily. His legs just didn't want to hold him up and he wasn't about to fight his body on what it wanted. Scud di look up to Deacon though, who was smirking down at him as if he'd won some prize. "It's pathetic."

"If I wanted your attention, I'd fucking tell you I did," Scud snapped, finding his voice finally. It was a stupid idea to talk back to the vampire in such a manner, but it just came out. His lack of filter really was going to kill him one day. He paused though, thinking a short moment before he spoke again since Deacon was too busy scowling. "I want your fucking attention, Deac," he said through soft whine. Being a whore for attention was a downfall, sure; but it definitely wasn't the worst trait known to man – in Scud's opinion.

Deacon didn't respond, expression still the exact same and unmoving from where he stood looming over the human. This worried Scud since he couldn't be sure what was going on in his head from the unwavering look on Deacon's face. He shifted against the wall and Deacon knelt down, sighed, and took Scud's chin gently in his hand as he said, "Get your ass back in bed and you can have my fucking attention."

He blinked a few times at Deacon before biting the inside of his cheek and giving a slight nod. It was stupid considering that's all he really wanted, but Scud wasn't about to not take Deacon's seemingly rare sentiment. He got to his feet carefully, eyes warily glancing to Deacon – who took a step back and was already beginning to walk out of the bathroom towards the room.

Scud would deny all things if asked if he started hurrying after the vampire like some kind of puppy.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** Again, this chapter was co-written by Tawni~ Everything after the x's was contributed after her and her lovely Deacon-muse._

* * *

By the time Scud was entering the room, he found Deacon in the corner pulling on a pair of dress pants. His eyes looked away instead of the inevitable staring at his back that would happen. Instead, he crossed over to the bed and lay down silently.

"Happy you got my attention, little whore?" Deacon asked through a fanged smile, clearly amused by his own words.

There wasn't much hostility laced in the words, but Scud still didn't like the sound of them very much. His glance went to the vampire and he narrowed his eyes a little bit at him. "You don't have to call me that…"

"I'll call you whatever I want, pet," he said in a proud manner as he crossed to the other side of the bed without bothering to put a shirt on. While lying on the bed and keeping moderate space between them, Deacon added, "And don't tell me what to do. You know your place."

"Wasn't telling you what to do," Scud mumbled, rolling to his side to better face Deacon. It was stupid, but Deacon was the only interaction with others that he got currently. So he appreciated it; reveled in it a little, even.

Blue eyed flickered in his direction, looking annoyed as Deacon snapped, "There anything else you want while you're making demands?"

Scud made a face, one that clearly was feeling bad about things – until he finally spoke. "Not unless there's something you want." He bit his lower lip, thinking a moment before inching closer. "Are you sure you don't want me to do something, anything for you?"

He watched as Deacon rolled his eyes and grumbled. "I don't to fuck you Scud. Get it in your damn head!"

"Then," the words were coming out of his mouth before he could stop them. "Then…just let me. C'mon." He moved, shifting even closer and giving Deacon his best pleading look. "I'll say please, if you want."

"Or you could explain why you want to. How about you start there." Scud shrugged his shoulders, but this wasn't enough – he knew. "Gimmie a fucking answer, Scud! Are you that desperate to be back where you were, huh? Do you miss your old home? Fucking what?!"

Scud flinched back at the vampire's loud tone but then found his nerves to get himself up enough and plant a firm kiss on Deacon's lips. It was nice for him; until there was a sharp pain shooting through his skull and he was yanked back. Deacon had pulled his hair to yank him back and keep him pinned down to the bed so he could practically snarl in his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" It wasn't even a question. It was more of a demand out of rage.

Whimpering once, Scud said in a cracked tone of voice, "I don't know!" Maybe he just wanted to feel a little close to someone. Some sort of false pretense for a few minutes. He didn't need any more than that. It was greedy and stupid and a million other words but that's what Scud wanted.

And he should be put to death just for wanting that from a vampire in the first place, he thought to himself silently after his whimpered statement.

xxxxx

"Happy you little attention whore?" The words slid out with such ease as Deacon eyed the familiar, wondering just how the words would affect him. That was what Scud had been lately, though; an attention whore.

It wasn't exactly an attack, but more of a fact being stated, and when Scud decided to talk back, Deacon found himself overcome with a bout of rage.

"You don't have to call me that..."

"I'll call you whatever I want, pet." The firmness in his voice was enough to state who was the boss, and who was the pet. Deacon never liked being told what to do, not even by the elders. He was the boss of himself, and that was all there was to it. "And don't tell me what to do. You know your place." He finished with a snarling hiss.

"Wasn't telling you what to do."

The words irritated Deacon to no end. How could some human be so brave as to talk back to him like this? Deacon briefly considered cutting the other's tongue out, and forcing him to live like that forever, but instead, he figured two could play at this game.

"There anything else you want while you're making demands?" He asked, tilting his head with a sarcastic snarl- a look that said he could easily kill the familiar with a flick of his wrist.

"Not unless there's something you want- Are you sure you don't want me to do something, anything for you?"

_disgusting._ Deacon hated humans more than he could express. They were the scum of this planet. The bottom of the food chain. Stupid as cattle, and just slightly tastier. It was a wonder how they survived so long, and Deacon would rather die than have Scud fuck him. "I don't want to fuck you, Scud. Get it in your damn head!" Deacon pointed out, annoyance gripping his tone.

"Then... Then just let me. C'mon. I'll say please, if you want."

"Or you could explain why you want to. How about you start there?" Scud didn't seem too interested in answering, and this only served to annoy the vampire more. "Give me a fucking answer, Scud! Are you that desperate to be back where you were, huh? Do you miss your old home? Fucking what?!"

The words were as sharp as daggers and hot as magma as they flew from the vampires mouth. He noticed Scud flinched, but the suddenly felt the warmth of the other's mouth against his. Deacon raised a hand to grab the other by his hair, and jerk him away with vampire strength.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" Deacon asked, his voice demanding and full of anger.

"I don't know!" Scud sounded as if he were nothing more than a kicked puppy.

_Pathetic_. That was the only word Deacon could use to describe how Scud was right now. A pathetic little attention whore begging for a purpose in this world of dog eat dog.

Yanking the other's hair down, Deacon pressed Scud against the bed as he climbed over him, keeping him at arms distance. He hovered slightly over the other's lips as he moved closer, his anger still quite apparent. "Is this what you want, Scud? You want me to fuck you?" Deacon asked, his voice laced with poison as he laid the trap for the familiar to answer.

Tearing at the other's shirt, Deacon easily discarded the material off the side of the bed before he leaned down pull the other into a serious, non-passionate, but ferocious kiss. All tongue and teeth, but the vampire avoided biting the other. He didn't want Scud to be a vampire. He wanted him to remain a pet for as long as he could, because that's where the pathetic little creature deserved to stay. Tearing at the other's pants now, Deacon didn't care if there was a single sound of protest. No, Scud had asked for this and now, it was coming full force.

Shifting to slip his own pair of nice dress pants off, he refused to let up on the other's hair. Scud wasn't allowed to move. He wasn't allowed to touch. Deacon was going to have this his way, and his way only. After his pants were gone, an admirable feat with only one hand, Deacon positioned himself between Scud's legs and only now let go of his hair to replace his grip on the other's wrists.

"I want you to scream, Scud. Scream and tell me what a little whore you are." He spat as he claimed what was his.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Again, Tawni co-wrote Deacon's POV~ This took a different turn than I expected, but enjoy.**

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As eyes slowly opened to find a pillow under his face, he shifted his body. The first thing he noticed was how sore he felt. And not just in one or two spots – all over. Everything was throbbing and awakening with dull pain. Scud groaned into the pillow and noticed the second thing about how he felt for the morning. His throat hurt; it felt raw from what he could only assume screaming at previous night.

Everything swam back to him in that moment. Deacon, basically offering himself, kissing him, getting told to scream, and… The rest of the night was one giant blur. The only notations to what happened were the pains and vague memories. And judging from all that, Scud figured he probably blacked before Deacon was finished with him. That thought was semi-grim though, causing the human to sit up with a small wince and check himself over. No cuts, no bite marks. Scud breathed a sigh of relief at this. At least that was one good thing about Deacon. He was true to his word.

Carefully, he got himself up and swung his legs to prepare to get out of bed. Already Scud was dreading it. His everything hurt and he could tell that Deacon took the definition of rough sex to a new level the previous night. He took in a sharp breath and forced himself up, face wrinkling with pain all over again. "Fuck," Scud said under his breath. Maybe it was a good thing that he was alone to suffer silently and slowly walk to the door where he stopped to listen.

Nothing. It didn't sound like a single soul was in the place. Which was good.

He let out the breath he'd been holding and moved out of the bedroom. Scud made his way to the bathroom, wanting to clean himself up. As he passed Deacon's office, he noticed the door was open halfway and glanced in. Apparently, he'd caught the vampire's attention because he heard him ask a question in his usual cold, sarcastic tone. "Sore, pet?"

Unmoving from where he stood and not turning his head to directly look at Deacon, Scud answered, "Not really. Why, you wanna go again?" The words came out quicker than he could stop them. He hadn't really meant it. A repeat performance wouldn't be something he thought he could handle.

"Keep using that tone and I'll make sure you can't walk next time."

Scud shivered a little at this threat, eyes lowering and immediately regretting opening his mouth. Mostly for not thinking things through before speaking. This was the human's biggest downfall. He sighed and took a step forward towards his destination, saying, "I'm just…going to take a bath."

Another step and he thought he heard Deacon hum, as if he was questioning something. But nothing else followed and Scud continued the short walk to the bathroom, shutting the door carefully before readying the tub and filling it. He stripped out of the little bit of clothing he still had on, stepped into the water and sat down carefully, his body immediately relaxing as he sank down into a laying position. It was comforting, soothing even. Between having a bit of alone time and the water soothing his aches, Scud didn't think things could turn south as he let his eyes slip shut.

Until he heard the door open.

xxxxx

Scud's backtalk wasn't something that the vampire found amusing. But it was expected from the little whore, after all. As Scud waddled off towards the bathroom, Deacon watched with a curious glance. Humming a questioning tone, Deacon slipped out of his shirt and left it in his office before he traveled to the bathroom after the pet. He hinted towards the fact that he wanted to do it again, and Deacon was all about giving his pet what he needed. Right now, though, that was between a punishment and a good time. Scud kept talking back, and Deacon couldn't stress just how badly that bothered him enough to the other.

Slipping inside and shutting the door behind himself, Deacon shed the rest of his clothing before he climbed into the tub as well. This sent water over the edges, which was no big deal to the vampire as he settled down. "You're not going to sleep in here. You could drown." He sneered, reaching for the other to stroke his cheek rather roughly.

"Climb into my lap, Scud. It's time for round two since you don't know how to shut your mouth. I warned you about talking back; you're going to learn the hard way." Deacon pointed out as he waited only a second for Scud to move. When the other didn't move fast enough, Deacon grabbed him, yanking him into his lap and sending more water out of the tub.

"This time, you're going to scream until you're voice stops working. Then, maybe you'll learn how to hold your tongue in front of me." He finished as he pulled the other down onto himself.

xxxxx

The words of Deacon didn't unnerve him, just simply moved too slowly for the vampire's liking apparently. Which lead to him getting yanked close to him, some more words, and the familiar feeling from the night before – Deacon thrusting into him all too roughly. It was a little better, he supposed, with the water adding some soothing quality to the situation. He didn't scream though. Instead, Scud clamped down on his lower lip, teeth digging in painfully hard as hands found the side of the tub.

His eyes that had fluttered shut opened to see Deacon watching him, a dangerous smirk across his features. "Aren't you going to scream for me, Scud?" He was taunting him, the sadist. Scud let out a shaky breath and gave a small shake of his head, which apparently didn't appease the relentless vampire. Scud felt hands come to his hips; the nails followed after, digging into his skin painfully hard.

"Deac," he choked out, feeling his throat tighten up. It was painful and on top of that – the sensory overload was flashing him back to worse times. The scars he had on his stomach and arms weren't just from everyday accidents. No, they were from vampires. The arm ones were the most recent that Deacon helped mend; the stomach ones from two female vampires that got too carried away. His previous master had laughed while Scud was passing out and then screamed at him when he woke up about being a filthy human.

The sounds were echoing in his head when Deacon made a sound – something crossed between a laugh and a groan. And it scared Scud. All too aware of the situation and the pain in his sides, Scud couldn't help it when he started to feel his breath going in smaller gasps. "Stop," he whispered. There was something wet on his face, trailing down his cheeks and he silently cursed himself for being so weak, so human. "Stop, please." His voice caught and he found himself sobbing, trying to push himself out of Deacon's grip.

He felt like an idiot in that moment when he opened his eyes to see Deacon watching him with confusion. The confusion quickly melted into anger and he left go of Scud, pulling out of him and grumbling. Scud inched backwards, attempting to breath and calm himself down while he scrubbed at his eyes. He caught sight of Deacon taking hold of himself for a few quick jerks and figured he was in for a terrible wrath from the vampire.

But it didn't come.

There was a little bit of movement and Deacon was getting out of the bathtub, grabbing a towel to wrap around himself. "Don't drown," he said, a bite to his tone as he walked out of the room.

Scud was hiccupping, stifling back any wants to continue crying. Sometimes, he wondered why he chose to stay human. His last master gave him the choice and he'd said no. God, if he had just said yes… But humanity suited him better. Wasn't that what he'd been told when he said no?

Another scrub of the back of his hand across his eyes and Scud took a slow breath. He couldn't quite read Deacon's reaction, which worried him. Was he angry with him? Was he angry that he hurt Scud when he said he would keep him safe? Or was he just pissed off he didn't get to finish?

Done thinking and done trying to figure Deacon out, Scud sunk into the water with closed eyes in an attempt to wash his troubles away. …And ignore the traces of his blood floating in the water.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I should just say now that Tawni's being my awesome co-writer for everything in Deacon's POV so I don't have to keep repeating myself. Again - not sure where the story is going since it took a turn I didn't expect so it's gonna be an adventure to write from here out.

Enjoy!

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Curling his hands into fists, Deacon stormed back into his bedroom. "Stupid fucking baby." He mused to himself as he tried to pinpoint why Scud's crying actually had any effect on him at all. He shouldn't have stopped. Scud was just a human, after all. What did it matter? Why did he care? The thought alone made him even more angry as he flung a small innocent table across the room and into the wall.

"Fucking bullshit!" Deacon brushed a hand over his face as he drew in a breath in an attempt to calm himself. Why did he even think twice about this human when he could just have it his way? Throwing a few more things off a nearby table, Deacon paused with his hands on his hips. He thought carefully about the events that had just occurred. Scud had asked for it, it wasn't like he was doing something against the other's will, and even if he had been he was a pet. Deacon's word was rule.

He'd asked Scud a simple request; to scream like the little whore he was. He refused, and soon after started crying. Deacon wasn't sure he understood, nor sure if he wanted to. Finally, when his rage gave in, Deacon nearly tore the bathroom door off the hinges as he stormed back into the bathroom.

"What the fuck was that?" He shouted, his voice rebounding off of the ceramic tiles that lined the walls and floor. "I'm the fucking master. You do what I say, not the other way around. You wanted this life, and you're going to cry?!" There was no sense of calm, no sign of slowing down and before Deacon even knew it, he was swinging an open hand at Scud's face.

The collision made a loud crack and sent water splashing out of the bathtub. If Deacon hadn't been a vampire, he was sure it would have actually hurt his own hand. Reaching down, Deacon wrapped a hand around Scud's throat and lifted him from the water to stare him in the face.

"What. The. Fuck. Was. That." He repeated. Icy cold eyes stared into the soft blue ones that belonged to his pet. He was relentless, full of hatred and ever so unforgiving. There was absolutely no sign of stopping now until the vampire got answers. The rage had consumed him, and he wasn't about to give it up.

In the back of his mind, somewhere in the past and buried in the memories he'd rather forget, Deacon could remember something similar happening to him. His father would come home late, very late. If Deacon was still in the bath, or even awake, he'd get the full wrath of his father. Deacon always tried to stay clear of him, or at least pretend to be asleep when he got back. But the times he returned were not consistent, and Deacon had been caught off guard more times than he would like to count.

Jutting his jaw out, Deacon's scowl only deepened as he stared at Scud. He lowered him slowly back into the water, and loosened his grip only after he realized the other couldn't really speak with a crushed throat. "I'm going to ask you one more time. If you don't tell me, I'm going to break every bone in your body twice, and then leave you to die. Do I make myself clear?" Any signs of compassion he'd once shown were now completely absent, leaving the shell of a killing machine in their place.

xxxxx

If anyone could win an award for scaring someone half to death, it would be Deacon. Scud realized this the second the door hit the ground. He flinched, ducking down some and listened to the vampire shout and yell. He should have expected this. He should have known that Deacon was angry. Maybe that calm before was just one of those calms before a storm. Scud shuddered and that's when he was slapped. And it was nowhere near gentle.

His neck whipping to the side from it was painful enough; the contact even worse.

But then he felt his air being cut off. And he was being lifted out of the bathtub. Panic set in and Scud squirmed, trying to get Deacon to put him down with no avail. Scud opened his mouth, tried to speak, but nothing more than a raspy sound came out. Answering his question wasn't really something he wanted to do in the first place, but if it got him to calm down? He'd do it. Scud would do anything to get the vampire's rage under control.

Feet kicked, splashing and making a mess of the water. He was starting to feel woozy from the lack of air, and the feeling was almost blissful. If he just gave up and kept struggling, Deacon would kill him. Then there'd be no more dealing with being a pet or familiar or anything. He'd just be a lifeless body.

Then again, Scud didn't want to be dead. Not at the age of twenty five and definitely not after all the shit he went through in his life. He still thought he deserved something nice before he kicked the bucket. He tried sucking in a breath when Deacon was putting him down and loosening his grip. Immediately, Scud sucked in all the air his lungs would allowed before he started coughing. If Deacon didn't still have a hand around his throat, he would have doubled over the side of the tub.

"You scared the shit out of me," Scud admitted quietly in a raspy tone. He was still trying to remember the breathing process again – inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. "And you were hurting me. And you reminded me of…" He trailed off, no sure how to explain the small comparison that the vampire in front of him would no doubt take offense to. "Before you saved me, my last master used to always do things like that." He shut his eyes, trying not to think about it. "That's why I have all these scars…"

There were a few more, too - scars that Deacon may not have noticed. Like the one behind his left knee from where one of the vampires thought it was fun to kick him. Or the small one in the middle of his back in the shape of two scratch marks from a too rough encounter with his previous master. Others had faded, but Scud still knew they were there. He could still seem them, he believed, if he looked long enough at the spot.

Pleading wouldn't do much good, he knew this; but that didn't stop Scud from opening his eyes and watching Deacon quietly with a questioning expression. "Deacon?" He hadn't even noticed that his current master went silent, that most emotion seemed to be void from his face. The hands that had been holding onto Deacon's wrist loosened; thumb shifting to carefully rub against Deacon's palm. Maybe he was just processing. Scud decided that had to be it. Because when he thought he didn't know beyond that reasoning, he felt scared of the vampire all over again.

xxxxx

Deacon's eyes remained narrow and full of some past hatred as he listened. "That's part of being a fucking pet. You chose this. You vowed your loyalty. Get over it." He spat, reaching down and grabbing the familiar by the shoulder and yanking him out of the bath. Deacon didn't need this bullshit, not from Scud. Not from his own property. And right now, he was too angry to process anything else. Maybe it was a hint of guilt, maybe it was the overwhelming nostalgia that triggered memories he'd rather forget. Either way, Deacon was now dragging Scud from the water and out of the bathroom.

In Deacon's eyes, being a pet was just that. A simple job where you only did what your master told you to do. There was no 'hard' anything about it. You obeyed, you got fed, you got protected. Sometimes you'd be rewarded, but there wasn't more. There was never more. No pets got treated like gold, they were disposable. When the time came, they would gladly give their lives for the vampires as long as the vampires got out safe. And that was how Deacon would always see it.

Shoving Scud into an empty bedroom, Deacon shut the door quickly and left him to be, but not before speaking through the heavy door. "You'll stay in here until you learn how to behave. When I speak, you listen. Don't talk unless spoken to, or I'll fucking kill you. No dinner tonight. And if I hear one fucking sound, I'll tear you apart." He threatened as he stormed away from the door and towards his office to make a call. He needed to do something to get his mind off of things, and usually work did that for him.


End file.
